From the Old Country

Though he lived most of his life in rural South Taiwan, Zhong Lihe spent several years in Manchuria and Peking, moving among an eclectic mix of ethnicities, social classes, and cultures. His fictional portraits unfold on Japanese battlefields and in Peking slums, as well as in the remote, impoverished hill-country villages and farms of his native Hakka districts. His scenic descriptions are deft and atmospheric, and his psychological explorations are acute. The first anthology to present his work in English, this volume features two novellas, ten short stories, and four short prose works.

This wonderful collection of stories introduces the English reader to the beautiful prose of Zhong Lihe, often regarded as the founding father of Taiwan's 'native soil literature.' Zhong's is a major voice in Taiwanese literature. His work brings out all the complexities of Taiwanese history and society: the transition from Japanese to Chinese rule, the fraught relationship with the Mainland, and the rich variety of ethnicities and languages on the island itself. In these stories, Zhong ranges from nostalgic rural idylls to harsh realist observations, mostly set in his hometown of Meinong and also drawn from his to? sojourns in occupied Peking and the puppet-state Manchuria. The English translation by T. M. McClellan masterfully captures the mood of the stories. From the Old Country is a very welcome addition to the growing body of English translations of Sinophone literature. Michel Hockx, University of London

Zhong Lihe is gifted with the authentic talent of the self-taught writer, exceptional in his ability to reach beyond class and national stereotypes, and unwisely neglected outside his native Taiwan. His translator, T. M. McClellan, is wonderfully fluent in his distinctive and wryly imaginative English; he also brings to his translation and introduction an acute literary sensibility, a highly-developed understanding of the author's life and times, and a profound knowledge of the Chinese language. This combination makes reading their book an exhilarating experience. Bonnie McDougall, author of Fictional Authors, Imaginary Audiences: Modern Chinese Literature in the Twentieth Century

These fine stories can be appreciated on at least two levels: as well-crafted and well-translated literature and as historical documents chronicling life in Taiwan under Japanese rule. The author, a Hakka-born Taiwanese, occupies a unique and favored position in Taiwan's literary history. Howard Goldblatt, coeditor of The Columbia Anthology of Modern Chinese Literature

This is a valuable book; it's well-translated into good idiomatic English by T. M. McLennan and presents a moving, living picture through its vignettes of Taiwanese life in particular, perhaps without too much nostalgia for the old ways but without entirely welcoming the new ways either. Asian Review of Books

This thoughtful, scholarly apparatus accompanies a judicious selection of beautifully rendered stories and sketches This is a fine book. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in modern Chinese literature from Taiwan. Modern Chinese Literature and Culture

Foreword by Zhong TiejunSources, Translations, and AcknowledgmentsTranslator's IntroductionPart 1: Formative Years1. My Grandma from the Mountains2. First Love3. From the Old CountryPart 2: Stories from the Old Country4. In the Willow Shade5. Oleander6. The Fourth DayPart 3: Homeland7. Zugteuzong8. Forest Fire9. Uncle A-Huang10. My "Out-Law" and the Hill SongsPart 4: Meinong Lyrics11. My Study12. The Grassy Bank13. The Plow and the Sky14. The Little RidgePart 5: Meinong Economics15. Swimming and Sinking16. Rain

Read the translator's introduction to From the Old Country:

About the Author

Zhong Lihe (1915–1960) grew up in a village in Pingtung and spent his early adulthood working on his father's remote hill farm in Meinong. In between and after, he spent considerable time in Taiwan's cities, chiefly Kaohsiung and Taipei, as well as in Mukden and Peking in Mainland China. Most of his earliest stories were written on the Mainland when he was in his mid to late-twenties, and many of those are set in Manchuria and China. His work realistically and humanely critiques and celebrates the problems and riches of the communities and cultures he knew, particularly the Hakka Chinese peasantry of his native rural South Taiwan.

T. M. McClellan was born in Edinburgh and grew up in Tweeddale in the Scottish Borders. He earned his bachelor's and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Edinburgh and specialized in modern Chinese literature. He is the author of Zhang Henshui and Popular Chinese Fiction, 1919–1949.

Zhong Tiejun is Zhong Lihe's third and only surviving son. He is known as a literary writer on family and Meinong affairs.

Series

This website uses cookies as well as similar tools and technologies to understand visitors’ experiences. By continuing to use this website, you consent to Columbia University Press’ usage of cookies and similar technologies, in accordance with theColumbia University Press Website Cookie Notice.